Xiaomi smartphone owners often face the mysterious situation when the device’s internal memory is rapidly filling up, and the standard analyzer shows that the lion’s share of space is occupied by a section called “Other”. This is especially true for the Redmi Note 10 Pro model, which, despite its excellent characteristics, is prone to accumulation of system debris when used actively. The user sees that only a few gigabytes of the declared 128 or 256 gigabytes are free, although photos, videos and applications take up quite a bit.
Android, and in particular the MIUI shell, categorizes files that cannot be uniquely classified as standard categories (photos, music, documents) into this category. The accumulation of temporary files, remnants of deleted applications, messenger cache and system logs is a natural process, but its scope often goes beyond reasonable. Ignoring the problem leads to slowdowns in the interface, lags in games and the inability to install new updates.
In this article, we will discuss in detail why this situation arises and what are the safe methods of freeing up space. We will look at both the standard system tools and more advanced methods that require a connection to a computer. The “Other” section on the Redmi Note 10 Pro often contains a Telegram and WhatsApp cache that can take up to 40 GB. The correct cleaning approach will return the device to its previous speed without the need for a complete reset.
Anatomy of the "Other" section in MIUI
Before we start taking any drastic measures, we need to understand what exactly is behind this name. There is no single folder called "Other" in the Android operating system, it is only an aggregated indicator that is output by a conductor or a memory analyzer, which includes cached data from streaming services, temporary browser files, offline maps of navigators and application databases.
Telegram and WhatsApp have the ability to save all the media files viewed into hidden directories, which the system perceives as an unknown type of data. In addition, when you install and delete games often, there may be tails - cache files that were not deleted by the uninstaller, all of which are summarized and displayed by the user as a massive block that occupies space.
System logs and error reports also contribute to this: If an application crashes frequently, the system can store crash reports that grow to gigabytes over time, and understanding the structure of that data helps you choose the right cleaning method without removing anything important.
⚠️ Note: Before starting any manipulation of the file system, we strongly advise you to back up important data to a cloud service or computer, as some methods may affect system files.
Basic cleaning with the system's staff
The safest and first step to take is to use the built-in optimization tool, which has a Security app preinstalled in the MIUI shell that has access to the system hidden folders, run it and select Clean up, and the system will analyze the storage and suggest that you delete temporary files.
However, standard cleaning is often superficial. For a deeper analysis, go to the Settings menu. → Memory. Here you'll see a color diagram of the space distribution, and if you click on the "Other" section, you can get more detailed information, although you can see that the space distribution is more detailed. MIUI It doesn't always let you go straight to files. It often helps to clear the cache through the app menu.
To do this, go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Find the apps that consume the most resources (usually social networks and browsers). Inside each application, click Memory and then Clear Cache. It is important not to confuse the Clear Everything button, as it will reset the application to the state immediately after installation, removing your logins and settings.
- 📱 Open the Security app and start scanning the system.
- 🗑️ Manually clear the cache in the settings of “heavy” apps like Instagram and TikTok.
- 📂 Check the Downloads folder in the file manager for unnecessary ones. APK-file.
- 🔄 Restart the device so that the system can recalculate the file index.
☑️ Checklist of basic cleaning
Working with garbage in messengers
As mentioned, Telegram and WhatsApp are the main culprits behind the “Other” bloat, which stores copies of all files sent and received in their internal memory, and Telegram is best managed with built-in cache management tools that don’t delete correspondence, but only free up disk space.
Go to Telegram settings, select Data and Memory, and then Memory Use. Here you will see the amount of cache you are using. By clicking Clear Cache, you can free up a few gigabytes. It is also recommended to set up automatic cleanup, for example, once every 3 days or week, so that the problem does not return.
WhatsApp is a little bit more complicated. You have to go to Settings → Data and Storage → Storage Management. You can see the files that take up the most space and delete them selectively. Often these are old videos that you've already watched and don't need to, and deleting these files directly affects the size of the "Other" partition.
Why is the messenger cache growing so fast?
Use of PC and debugging mode via USB
If the standard methods did not help to free up enough space, you will have to resort to more advanced methods using a computer. To do this, you need to activate the developer mode on the Redmi Note 10 Pro. → About the phone and quickly press 7 times on the item "Version" MIUI».
Once you activate the developer menu, go to Settings → Advanced Settings → Developer. Find the USB Debugging option and turn it on. Connect your smartphone to your computer with a cable. On your phone screen, you'll see a request for debugging permission — click "Allow." Now the computer sees the device not just as a drive, but as an object to control.
With special utilities such as Android Debug Bridge (ADB), you can access hidden system folders that are not visible through a regular file manager. ADB commands allow you to delete files from system logs and temporary directories. However, this method requires caution, since deleting the system file can lead to unstable software operation.
adb shell pm trim-caches 999999999This command tries to force the cache of all applications. It's safe to run, but it can take a while depending on the number of programs installed. If you're not sure about your ADB, you'd better limit yourself to manually searching for large files through the PC Explorer in /Android/data and /Android/obb folders.
⚠️ Note: When working in the debugging mode USB Never delete files that you don’t know the purpose of, especially from system partitions, which can lead to a “bricking” device or a cyclical reboot.
Analysis of storage by third-party utilities
The standard MIUI Explorer doesn't always show the real picture of file distribution. For more in-depth analysis, it's recommended to use specialized applications like Files by Google or DiskUsage, which build a visual memory card, showing which folders occupy the most space.
DiskUsage, for example, displays memory as a tree-like block structure, and you'll immediately see which file or folder your gigabytes have eaten, often a forgotten movie in a download folder or a service log file, often more effective than a standard one when removing heavyweights through a third-party conductor.
But for most user tasks, these apps are quite functional, allowing you to quickly find duplicate photos, large video files, and forgotten archives.
| Cleaning method | Efficiency | Risk of data loss | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIUI's staff cleaning | Low. | Minimum | Low. |
| Clearing messenger cache | Tall. | Low. | Low. |
| Third-party analyzers | Medium | Medium. | Medium |
| ADB teams (PC) | Maximum | High-pitched | Tall. |
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Use Files by Google to find duplicate photos – they are often unobtrusively copied when synced with different cloud services and take up space in the Other section.
Radical measures: Resetting and reflashing
When no methods help and the Other section continues to grow, occupying a critical volume, the last option is a complete reset to factory settings.This action completely removes all data from the device, including contacts, photos and applications, returning the Redmi Note 10 Pro to the “out of the box” state.
Before you do this, make sure to make a full backup. Go to Settings → About Phone → Backup and Restore. Save a copy to an external drive or to the Mi Cloud. Once reset, the system will be clean, without accumulated years of debris, logs and file system errors.
An alternative to a full reset might be to upgrade the system on top of the current version: download the current firmware from the official website, put it in the root of internal memory, and select it from the update menu, and the system will reinstall its files, which can correct indexing errors that cause the memory to display incorrectly.
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Wipe Data is the only way to guarantee that you will remove the Other partition if it has grown due to file system errors but requires a mandatory data backup.